Throwing and catching are fundamental building blocks in the game of softball. Unfortunately, they are also some of the most overlooked and under-taught skills in the game. Megan Smith gives you a comprehensive look at throwing and receiving techniques, sequencing, and progressions that can easily be integrated into the practice setting. This will allow your players to understand efficient movement patterns from a variety of receiving positions and also learn transitions that can be easily repeated to help create accurate throw and get outs.

Throwing Mechanics and Drills

Coach Smith takes you step-by-step through a throwing progression that will not only allow your players to loosen up their arms, but will help create a fundamentally sound throwing pattern. Using Smith's towel whips training, players use a towel to create and improve whip, resulting in more wrist snap and better throws. She also explains a throwing progression for use during warm-ups. Start by isolating the upper body, and then progressively add in the legs and work to achieve proper throwing footwork. Coach Smith helps you build your throwers from the ground up.

Receiving Mechanics and Drills

Smith first breaks down receiving and transfer techniques. Receiving is incorporated with throwing just as it occurs during a game, making it extremely transferable. These techniques are then synced up with footwork to help the viewer understand sequencing of footwork and glove work to throw the ball accurately. Players also learn how to deal with bad throws, which is when most errors occur and games are lost.

Coach Smith introduces seven kinds of footwork that receivers must use during the throwing progression, and explains when the receiver should use each. These receiving footwork drills will allow your receivers to practice every kind of reception they could possibly need to make during a game.

Special Throws and Drills

In addition to regular throwing, Smith teaches how to transition from fielding a ball to throwing using her ball-in-glove series of drills. She provides drills for infielders and outfielders to work on the movements necessary to take a ball from the fielding position to throwing position. She also covers different types of throws, like relays and off-balance throws, which may pop up at a critical moment in the game and force your throwers to make a highlight-reel worthy play.

Additionally, Smith shows how your throwers can safely strengthen their arms using long toss and weighted balls.

The most valuable part of this video is that all these concepts can be incorporated into the throwing routine that you are already doing. Coach Smith explains how to make throwing more than just a part of warm-ups and how to make it a component of practice in and of itself!

In this video, Megan Smith brings you drills that she has used over the years to improve her team's fielding. Smith will help keep your practices engaging with 17 innovative drills designed to improve footwork, turns, throws, and fielding position.

Footwork Drills

A player must move her feet to get into position. Learn how to help your infielders get into great fielding position with four footwork drills. Smith instructs how to practice quick feet and rhythm, which will help your infielders on routine ground balls and balls that they have to range to the sides to field.

Glovework Drills

Get your players' hands faster and more efficient with five drills. These drills are designed so that every player involved is working on some part of the game. For example, the Triangle Drill uses three players fielding, turning, and throwing to help improve on infield throws. In one fun drill, Light-Flight Pepper (a spin-off of the classic Pepper drill), the infielders play Pepper using light flight balls. This allows the hitter to pepper the ball harder without fear of injuring a fielder, and allows the infielders to work at a closer distance to improve their glove reaction.

Fungo Drills

Put it all together with eight fungo drills that will keep your infielders challenged. Smith offers several drills to improve fielding fundamentals, and drills that will challenge your fielders to make web-gem plays.

Let Coach Smith show you how to develop fundamentally sound, record-breaking infielders without sacrificing fun!

The skills required to play the various infield positions are unique to each position. In order to be an effective infield coach, one must understand the diverse needs for each position.

Megan Smith offers 27 drills to build fundamentally sound infielders, position-by-position, by breaking down their technique and building correct mechanics using proven drills.

Her instruction covers:

Ready position

Fielding position

Throwing position

Drop step and angles to balls hit to the forehand and backhand

Bunt fielding and throwing

Double play feeds and footwork for middle infielders

Coach Smith even has a short segment on how to throw on the run. This is a fully comprehensive video on the basic fundamentals for infield play!

Drop Steps

The drop step is used on both forehands and backhands, so a good drop step is very important to help fielders increase their range. Smith explains the technique of a drop step and offers four drills to practice it. Get your players' feet moving faster and more efficiently and you will find them getting to more ground balls deep in the hole or up the middle!

Corner Fielding

Corner infielders have diverse job descriptions, as they must field ground balls like other infielders and also have bunt responsibilities. First basemen must also be able to pick a ball thrown in the dirt. Smith covers the techniques involved for each position and offers nine drills for these skills. In one drill called Hot Dog, players practice staying low and having their feet beat their hands by fielding a rolled ball behind their backs and between their legs.

Double Plays

Making two outs off of one batted ball can bail a defense, and your pitcher, out of a jam. Smith goes over feeds and footwork for both middle infield positions to help decrease the amount of time it takes to make the play and increase the chance of getting two outs. She then teaches the art of multiple "feeds" and the different footwork needed to turn a double play at second base. These tips save time and create more outs. In all, you'll get 12 drills Smith uses with her middles to practice initiating and turning the double play.

Let Coach Smith help you develop fundamentally sound infielders that will shatter records with their consistency!

Throwing and catching are fundamental building blocks in the game of softball. Unfortunately, they are also some of the most overlooked and under-taught skills in the game. Megan Smith gives you a comprehensive look at throwing and receiving techniques, sequencing, and progressions that can easily be integrated into the practice setting. This will allow your players to understand efficient movement patterns from a variety of receiving positions and also learn transitions that can be easily repeated to help create accurate throw and get outs.

Throwing Mechanics and Drills

Coach Smith takes you step-by-step through a throwing progression that will not only allow your players to loosen up their arms, but will help create a fundamentally sound throwing pattern. Using Smith's towel whips training, players use a towel to create and improve whip, resulting in more wrist snap and better throws. She also explains a throwing progression for use during warm-ups. Start by isolating the upper body, and then progressively add in the legs and work to achieve proper throwing footwork. Coach Smith helps you build your throwers from the ground up.

Receiving Mechanics and Drills

Smith first breaks down receiving and transfer techniques. Receiving is incorporated with throwing just as it occurs during a game, making it extremely transferable. These techniques are then synced up with footwork to help the viewer understand sequencing of footwork and glove work to throw the ball accurately. Players also learn how to deal with bad throws, which is when most errors occur and games are lost.

Coach Smith introduces seven kinds of footwork that receivers must use during the throwing progression, and explains when the receiver should use each. These receiving footwork drills will allow your receivers to practice every kind of reception they could possibly need to make during a game.

Special Throws and Drills

In addition to regular throwing, Smith teaches how to transition from fielding a ball to throwing using her ball-in-glove series of drills. She provides drills for infielders and outfielders to work on the movements necessary to take a ball from the fielding position to throwing position. She also covers different types of throws, like relays and off-balance throws, which may pop up at a critical moment in the game and force your throwers to make a highlight-reel worthy play.

Additionally, Smith shows how your throwers can safely strengthen their arms using long toss and weighted balls.

The most valuable part of this video is that all these concepts can be incorporated into the throwing routine that you are already doing. Coach Smith explains how to make throwing more than just a part of warm-ups and how to make it a component of practice in and of itself!

Running an effective team practice with a large roster can be complicated. It is often difficult to find engaging and efficient team drills that will challenge each player.

In this practice, you will witness exactly how Megan Smith works her team through various situations and gets all players prepared for upcoming games. Instead of players standing around and getting little out of the time, Smith does a terrific job of keeping things fast-paced and up-tempo.

On display are eight full team drills and a batting practice rotation that will help make your practices more engaging and efficient.

Team Defense

Get your whole team involved with full field long toss. Practice important throwing and receiving skills with your full team in a fast-paced, challenging environment. The expectation of proper technique for throwing, catching and making tags is on full display and is crisply executed.

Smith shares a pregame defensive sequence where you can get your outfielders and infielders several reps in only five minutes, which is ideal for pregame, where you are often limited on time. You will see the fundamentals that all coaches emphasize and hear the specific coaching points that Smith shares to make all players perform at their best.

Coach Smith also introduces communication drills that will help assure that no fly ball goes uncaught because of poor communication.

Defending the Running Game

Shutting down an opponent's running game can be a critical component of team success. Make sure your catchers and infielders get practice reps working on pick-off plays and steals to ensure a well-rounded defensive practice. Smith will also help you simplify first and third defensive plays, which are commonly chaotic situations that cause the team on defense to make mistakes.

Batting Practice

Smith shows you how to run an efficient batting practice where all players are involved and productive. Her three-group batting practice rotation allows your hitters to get live reps off a pitcher, your base runners to get live reads off of batted balls, and your defense to get game-like reps. Get more accomplished in less time!

Coach Smith shows you how to get more out of your players by getting more out of practice in this fantastic video!

with Tony Abbatine,Founder, Frozen Ropes;2018 USA Softball National Team Coaching Staff - overseeing the mental and visual skills;Has worked with the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Dodgers as a player development department consultant;Adjunct College Professor, Sports Psychology, St. Thomas Aquinas College;author of numerous articles on player development featured in: Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Baseball America and various television media.

At the higher levels of baseball and softball, physical skills don't separate the good from the great players; it's the player's mental skills that are usually the greatest differentiator. Most coaches don't spend enough time on mental skills, often because they don't understand the mental game or how to teach mental game.

Tony Abbatine, who is also a professor of sport psychology, guides you through the understanding of mental dominance. He provides proven techniques for reducing stress and anxiety and also shares what Hall of Fame-level players do mentally to create the best chance to perform.

Weapons of Mental Dominance

Coach Abbatine introduces you to the nine "Weapons of Mental Dominance" that help players identify their personal readiness for success. These techniques are the building blocks of a routine that allows players to perform at their best, even in the most pressure-packed situations. He provides specific approaches to improve players in the areas of controlled breathing, mental imagery, positive self-talk, and goal setting. These are all techniques that coaches know are important, and this video provides easy cues and teaching points that will benefits players and coaches of all experience levels.

Abbatine also gives details regarding the negative thoughts that can prevent players from achieving their full level of success. He gives tips for time-tested techniques that rid the mind of those harmful thoughts, as well as approaches for replacing them with mental skills that increase the opportunity to dominate.

Additionally, you'll get vehicles for goal setting, performance analysis, and techniques for self-coaching that will allow players to feel fully prepared and sufficiently confident to let the body perform at the highest level. There is a clear relationship of how a strong mind and controlled emotions can produce the best physical performance!

Dealing with Pressure

Where does pressure come from? Coach Abbatine answers that question, and many others, as he explains how to re-frame pressure. When you understand that humans create the 'three evil sisters' you will start to understand how we can get rid of them too.

Team Physics

Team physics is a phrase to describe team chemistry. Coach Abbatine turns the idea of physics around on the coaches, saying that they must model what they want out of their athletes. Learn the attributes of successful coaches, and how you can better lead your athletes.

Baseball and softball are often defined as being 80-90% mental; taking advantage of these proven performance techniques from Coach Abbatine is an absolute must!

with Tony Abbatine,Founder, Frozen Ropes;2018 USA Softball National Team Coaching Staff - overseeing the mental and visual skills;Has worked with the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Dodgers as a player development department consultant;Adjunct College Professor, Sports Psychology, St. Thomas Aquinas College;author of numerous articles on player development featured in: Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Baseball America and various television media.

The first and possibly the most important part of hitting success is the visual ability of the batter. The visual component of hitting involves so much more than 'see the ball, hit the ball.'

Tony Abbatine explains the mechanics and strategies to put your players' eyes in a better position to see the ball. Through 10 drills, he shows you how to improve athletes' ability to see pitches, pitch rotations, and pitch locations to become the best performer possible in the batter's box.

Visual Mechanics and Strategies

Learn the mechanics and strategies that will allow your players to see the ball earlier, longer and clearer. For example, you will learn how to relax the eyes to pick up on more visual cues that the opponent's pitcher gives out. Coach Abbatine suggests a few physical mechanics that may be making it more difficult to see, and gives easy-to-remember cues to put your eyes in the best position to see.

Visual Drill Work

Limited space and resources? Coach Abbatine teaches three easy-to-use visual drills that can be done anywhere. Learn to catch without moving the head, and allow the eyes to do the work with No Look drills that force hand-eye coordination to advance. J-line drills force hitters to recognize and actively train the eyes and brain to react quickly to pitches.

Visual Cage Work

Combine vision work and hitting for the ultimate visual benefit. Coach Abbatine introduces seven drills that incorporate the skill of hitting while the focus stays on the eyes and seeing the ball better. Make a foundational drill that you already do, like hitting off the tee, more realistic and effective! Abbatine also shows some variations of flips and tosses that will give them more of a visual component.

A perfect mechanical swing is almost worthless if you don't have good visual skills. Coach Abbatine gives you the visual strategies and drills to help players see better without having to visit the optometrist!

with Tony Abbatine,Founder, Frozen Ropes;2018 USA Softball National Team Coaching Staff - overseeing the mental and visual skills;Has worked with the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Dodgers as a player development department consultant;Adjunct College Professor, Sports Psychology, St. Thomas Aquinas College;author of numerous articles on player development featured in: Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Baseball America and various television media.

Coach Abbatine provides several drills important to developing consistency while minimizing over-coaching and over-complicating hitting. This drill series does a great job of isolating various swing flaws, helping players understand the best fixes available while maintaining a commitment to the full process of hitting.

Utilizing Drills

While drills can be an important part of practice and development, coaches have to understand how to use them effectively to truly help the player develop to their maximum ability. Coach Abbatine presents a quick overview of his hitting style, and then goes in-depth about how he uses drills to teach these principles. Each drill that Abbatine shares has purpose, and every one builds on the drill before to give players the greatest chance at development.

In addition to offering a proven teaching style, Abbatine also shares details of how to best evaluate hitters. These techniques are critical for evaluation in the recruitment process and in player development.

Barrel Control Drills

The core of Coach Abbatine's hitting philosophy is getting the barrel to the ball. He introduces a three-drill progression he uses to help teach barrel control - an essential element of hitting. The Punch, Rifle, and Sword drills each take the swing one step further until the hitter is taking almost a full swing, focusing on controlling the barrel.

Hitting Drills

Coach Abbatine opens his library of hitting drills to the viewer. While his drills address all aspects of the swing, most of them help the hitter to keep things simple. Using this resource, learn how to develop a complete hitter that is dangerous even against the most effective pitching. You'll see:

Selfie drills that allow hitters to work individually, warm up, and develop coordination.

Body Control drills to help hitters develop consistency in their mechanics from stride, to launch point, to finish.

Hand position drills that help hitters develop an appropriate launching point and barrel control.

Abbatine provides an informative resource for developing hitters that is simple and educational. This video is great for both novice and professional coaches, as well as any player seeking improvement in their hitting!

with Tony Abbatine,Founder, Frozen Ropes;2018 USA Softball National Team Coaching Staff - overseeing the mental and visual skills;Has worked with the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Dodgers as a player development department consultant;Adjunct College Professor, Sports Psychology, St. Thomas Aquinas College;author of numerous articles on player development featured in: Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Baseball America and various television media.

Coach Abbatine provides several drills important to developing consistency while minimizing over-coaching and over-complicating hitting. This drill series does a great job of isolating various swing flaws, helping players understand the best fixes available while maintaining a commitment to the full process of hitting.

Utilizing Drills

While drills can be an important part of practice and development, coaches have to understand how to use them effectively to truly help the player develop to their maximum ability. Coach Abbatine presents a quick overview of his hitting style, and then goes in-depth about how he uses drills to teach these principles. Each drill that Abbatine shares has purpose, and every one builds on the drill before to give players the greatest chance at development.

In addition to offering a proven teaching style, Abbatine also shares details of how to best evaluate hitters. These techniques are critical for evaluation in the recruitment process and in player development.

Barrel Control Drills

The core of Coach Abbatine's hitting philosophy is getting the barrel to the ball. He introduces a three-drill progression he uses to help teach barrel control - an essential element of hitting. The Punch, Rifle, and Sword drills each take the swing one step further until the hitter is taking almost a full swing, focusing on controlling the barrel.

Hitting Drills

Coach Abbatine opens his library of hitting drills to the viewer. While his drills address all aspects of the swing, most of them help the hitter to keep things simple. Using this resource, learn how to develop a complete hitter that is dangerous even against the most effective pitching. You'll see:

Selfie drills that allow hitters to work individually, warm up, and develop coordination.

Body Control drills to help hitters develop consistency in their mechanics from stride, to launch point, to finish.

Hand position drills that help hitters develop an appropriate launching point and barrel control.

Abbatine provides an informative resource for developing hitters that is simple and educational. This video is great for both novice and professional coaches, as well as any player seeking improvement in their hitting!

56 minutes. 2018.

SD-05327B:

with Tony Abbatine,Founder, Frozen Ropes;2018 USA Softball National Team Coaching Staff - overseeing the mental and visual skills;Has worked with the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Dodgers as a player development department consultant;Adjunct College Professor, Sports Psychology, St. Thomas Aquinas College;author of numerous articles on player development featured in: Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Baseball America and various television media.

The first and possibly the most important part of hitting success is the visual ability of the batter. The visual component of hitting involves so much more than 'see the ball, hit the ball.'

Tony Abbatine explains the mechanics and strategies to put your players' eyes in a better position to see the ball. Through 10 drills, he shows you how to improve athletes' ability to see pitches, pitch rotations, and pitch locations to become the best performer possible in the batter's box.

Visual Mechanics and Strategies

Learn the mechanics and strategies that will allow your players to see the ball earlier, longer and clearer. For example, you will learn how to relax the eyes to pick up on more visual cues that the opponent's pitcher gives out. Coach Abbatine suggests a few physical mechanics that may be making it more difficult to see, and gives easy-to-remember cues to put your eyes in the best position to see.

Visual Drill Work

Limited space and resources? Coach Abbatine teaches three easy-to-use visual drills that can be done anywhere. Learn to catch without moving the head, and allow the eyes to do the work with No Look drills that force hand-eye coordination to advance. J-line drills force hitters to recognize and actively train the eyes and brain to react quickly to pitches.

Visual Cage Work

Combine vision work and hitting for the ultimate visual benefit. Coach Abbatine introduces seven drills that incorporate the skill of hitting while the focus stays on the eyes and seeing the ball better. Make a foundational drill that you already do, like hitting off the tee, more realistic and effective! Abbatine also shows some variations of flips and tosses that will give them more of a visual component.

A perfect mechanical swing is almost worthless if you don't have good visual skills. Coach Abbatine gives you the visual strategies and drills to help players see better without having to visit the optometrist!

70 minutes. 2018.

SD-05327C:

with Tony Abbatine,Founder, Frozen Ropes;2018 USA Softball National Team Coaching Staff - overseeing the mental and visual skills;Has worked with the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Dodgers as a player development department consultant;Adjunct College Professor, Sports Psychology, St. Thomas Aquinas College;author of numerous articles on player development featured in: Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Baseball America and various television media.

At the higher levels of baseball and softball, physical skills don't separate the good from the great players; it's the player's mental skills that are usually the greatest differentiator. Most coaches don't spend enough time on mental skills, often because they don't understand the mental game or how to teach mental game.

Tony Abbatine, who is also a professor of sport psychology, guides you through the understanding of mental dominance. He provides proven techniques for reducing stress and anxiety and also shares what Hall of Fame-level players do mentally to create the best chance to perform.

Weapons of Mental Dominance

Coach Abbatine introduces you to the nine "Weapons of Mental Dominance" that help players identify their personal readiness for success. These techniques are the building blocks of a routine that allows players to perform at their best, even in the most pressure-packed situations. He provides specific approaches to improve players in the areas of controlled breathing, mental imagery, positive self-talk, and goal setting. These are all techniques that coaches know are important, and this video provides easy cues and teaching points that will benefits players and coaches of all experience levels.

Abbatine also gives details regarding the negative thoughts that can prevent players from achieving their full level of success. He gives tips for time-tested techniques that rid the mind of those harmful thoughts, as well as approaches for replacing them with mental skills that increase the opportunity to dominate.

Additionally, you'll get vehicles for goal setting, performance analysis, and techniques for self-coaching that will allow players to feel fully prepared and sufficiently confident to let the body perform at the highest level. There is a clear relationship of how a strong mind and controlled emotions can produce the best physical performance!

Dealing with Pressure

Where does pressure come from? Coach Abbatine answers that question, and many others, as he explains how to re-frame pressure. When you understand that humans create the 'three evil sisters' you will start to understand how we can get rid of them too.

Team Physics

Team physics is a phrase to describe team chemistry. Coach Abbatine turns the idea of physics around on the coaches, saying that they must model what they want out of their athletes. Learn the attributes of successful coaches, and how you can better lead your athletes.

Baseball and softball are often defined as being 80-90% mental; taking advantage of these proven performance techniques from Coach Abbatine is an absolute must!

with Randy Schneider,Ankeny Centennial (IA) High School Head Coach;former Iowa State University Assistant Coach;former University of Wisconsin Associate Head Coach (2013 Big Ten Tournament Champions);Former head coach at Valparaiso University, where he left as the programs all-time wins leader;2008 Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year

and Joe Yegge,Kirkwood Community College Head Coach;8x ICCAC regular season championships,5x Region Championships, 5x District Championships, 2x NFCA Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year

Developing power hitters takes time and know-how. Randy Schneider and Joe Yegge team up to take your power hitting to the next level in this jam-packed video!

You'll learn how the body powerfully works through the swing process, followed by the techniques that help to improve repetitions without just mindlessly taking swings. The coaches conclude with an extensive laundry list of 30 tee and front toss drills to help solve your power hitting struggles. Every team can utilize these drills to win more games.

Mechanics

Before a player can become a great hitter, they must first develop a fundamentally strong swing. This video incorporates great technique for developing that swing, including:

Medicine ball work to develop swing strength and bat speed.

Band work to improve hand path and "feeling connected" in the upper half and lower half.

Tennis racket work to feel bat lag and improve explosiveness through the ball.

Frisbee throwing to enhance extension and finish.

From there, Schneider and Yegge show you how to develop sound fundamentals to improve success at the plate. They explain proper loading to gather strength and energy, attacking the front heel for optimal rotational/linear effort, and staying on plane to dramatically increase the ability to put the bat on the ball.

Learn about the speed/accuracy tradeoff and differential learning, and how incorporating both concepts into your practices will improve your hitters' performance.

30 Drills to Develop a Repeatable Swing

Power is the result of a repeatable and efficient swing that is built on body sequencing, and this video provides dozens of drills to provide exactly that. Drills are systematically broken down into segments:

Lower half drive to take advantage of the biggest and most powerful muscles.

Bat and hand path to increase the amount of time that the bat is working through the pitch plane and thus bettering the ability to put the ball in play.

Extension and finish drills to become more powerful and maximize what the body has to offer.

Tee Drills

Coach Yegge shows you twelve tee drills that can prepare your power hitters to maximize their pop at the plate. These drills get players swinging faster and harder while also increasing percentage of powerful contact, resulting in more extra base hits. These drills will help your hitters with:

Rhythm and feel

Torque

Bat control

Bat speed

Overall, these drills will help your hitters harness the power from the ground and transfer that energy into their swings.

Front Toss Drills

Coach Schneider shows you how to tie it all together with front toss drills to help train the batter's eyes and body to make more solid contact. These front toss drills, like the slow load drill, will help your hitters work on their rhythm and timing. In the Slow Load drill, the hitter controls their load and loads gradually and slowly, before exploding to contact. This particular drill is helpful when facing a slower pitcher.

Discover the "Why" of Successful Swings

Coach Schneider provides lots of physics and biomechanics explanations to help you understand how to get the most out of any body type. Coach Schneider is clearly a "student of the game" and his ability to share what he's learned is terrific. You'll see what it takes to improve consistency and explosiveness through a better understanding of the biomechanics of the physical body.

Schneider and Yegge offer many drills to build your power game. This video will show you how to teach your hitters to be aggressive at the plate and do damage on offense!

49 minutes. 2018.

SD-05317B:

with Randy Schneider,Ankeny Centennial (IA) High School Head Coach;former Iowa State University Assistant Coach;former University of Wisconsin Associate Head Coach (2013 Big Ten Tournament Champions);Former head coach at Valparaiso University, where he left as the programs all-time wins leader;2008 Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year

When people talk about offense, much of the talk and focus is on home runs. However, an aggressive running game can help take the pressure off big hitters and help generate runs when your power game has an off day.

In this video, Randy Schneider explains the baserunning drills, leads, and rundowns to strategically apply pressure to opposing defenses and force them to make mistakes.

Baserunning Drills

Get out of the box quicker and more efficiently! Coach Schneider introduces several drills that will help your runners get to and round first base faster. You'll benefit from a structured, easily implemented routine that breaks home to first base-running down into all of the important pieces, which include:

Starts - Explosively getting out of the box.

Open Window - Proper timing of looking up to see if the ball made it through the infield.

Hitting the Bag - Whether hitting the front of the bag on a close play or hitting the inside corner of the bag when rounding, foot placement can be the difference that puts maximum pressure on the defense.

Breakdown - After hitting the bag at full speed, knowing how to properly stop is important for avoiding injury and for forcing the defense into making mistakes.

Use the Starts drill to get out of the batter's box more efficiently. This is a skill that can benefit hitters on almost every at-bat. Players practice getting to the end of the swing, staying balanced, and driving out while keeping the head low and running through a cone a few feet away.

Leads

Once on first base, learn how to take an aggressive lead that will draw the defense's attention. Coach Schneider explains how to drill different leads for second and third base. Learn how to take a lead off of an aggressive catcher who likes to pick off frequently, while taking a more aggressive lead against a less skilled or lazy catcher.

Rundowns and Situations

One side benefit of being an aggressive baserunning team is that your defense will practice against your base runners, better preparing them for defending against a team that runs aggressively. Coach Schneider does a terrific job of incorporating offensive and defensive work into the same drills to optimize the use of practice time with a small ball scrimmage that keeps the focus on short game skills and aggressive baserunning. He shares techniques for developing an aggressive baserunning program into the typical batting practice that helps players become comfortable between bases. Multiple baserunner scenarios are incorporated to help players understand the dynamic of not being alone on the base paths.

Coach Schneider shows you 12 drills to help you keep pressure on the defense. The more pressure your baserunning game can apply to the defense, the more errors they will make and runs you will score. Let Coach Schneider show you how to help your baserunners apply the pressure!

with Randy Schneider,Ankeny Centennial (IA) High School Head Coach;former Iowa State University Assistant Coach;former University of Wisconsin Associate Head Coach (2013 Big Ten Tournament Champions);Former head coach at Valparaiso University, where he left as the programs all-time wins leader;2008 Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year

and Joe Yegge,Kirkwood Community College Head Coach;8x ICCAC regular season championships,5x Region Championships, 5x District Championships, 2x NFCA Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year

Developing power hitters takes time and know-how. Randy Schneider and Joe Yegge team up to take your power hitting to the next level in this jam-packed video!

You'll learn how the body powerfully works through the swing process, followed by the techniques that help to improve repetitions without just mindlessly taking swings. The coaches conclude with an extensive laundry list of 30 tee and front toss drills to help solve your power hitting struggles. Every team can utilize these drills to win more games.

Mechanics

Before a player can become a great hitter, they must first develop a fundamentally strong swing. This video incorporates great technique for developing that swing, including:

Medicine ball work to develop swing strength and bat speed.

Band work to improve hand path and "feeling connected" in the upper half and lower half.

Tennis racket work to feel bat lag and improve explosiveness through the ball.

Frisbee throwing to enhance extension and finish.

From there, Schneider and Yegge show you how to develop sound fundamentals to improve success at the plate. They explain proper loading to gather strength and energy, attacking the front heel for optimal rotational/linear effort, and staying on plane to dramatically increase the ability to put the bat on the ball.

Learn about the speed/accuracy tradeoff and differential learning, and how incorporating both concepts into your practices will improve your hitters' performance.

30 Drills to Develop a Repeatable Swing

Power is the result of a repeatable and efficient swing that is built on body sequencing, and this video provides dozens of drills to provide exactly that. Drills are systematically broken down into segments:

Lower half drive to take advantage of the biggest and most powerful muscles.

Bat and hand path to increase the amount of time that the bat is working through the pitch plane and thus bettering the ability to put the ball in play.

Extension and finish drills to become more powerful and maximize what the body has to offer.

Tee Drills

Coach Yegge shows you twelve tee drills that can prepare your power hitters to maximize their pop at the plate. These drills get players swinging faster and harder while also increasing percentage of powerful contact, resulting in more extra base hits. These drills will help your hitters with:

Rhythm and feel

Torque

Bat control

Bat speed

Overall, these drills will help your hitters harness the power from the ground and transfer that energy into their swings.

Front Toss Drills

Coach Schneider shows you how to tie it all together with front toss drills to help train the batter's eyes and body to make more solid contact. These front toss drills, like the slow load drill, will help your hitters work on their rhythm and timing. In the Slow Load drill, the hitter controls their load and loads gradually and slowly, before exploding to contact. This particular drill is helpful when facing a slower pitcher.

Discover the "Why" of Successful Swings

Coach Schneider provides lots of physics and biomechanics explanations to help you understand how to get the most out of any body type. Coach Schneider is clearly a "student of the game" and his ability to share what he's learned is terrific. You'll see what it takes to improve consistency and explosiveness through a better understanding of the biomechanics of the physical body.

Schneider and Yegge offer many drills to build your power game. This video will show you how to teach your hitters to be aggressive at the plate and do damage on offense!

with Randy Schneider,Ankeny Centennial (IA) High School Head Coach;former Iowa State University Assistant Coach;former University of Wisconsin Associate Head Coach (2013 Big Ten Tournament Champions);Former head coach at Valparaiso University, where he left as the programs all-time wins leader;2008 Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year

When people talk about offense, much of the talk and focus is on home runs. However, an aggressive running game can help take the pressure off big hitters and help generate runs when your power game has an off day.

In this video, Randy Schneider explains the baserunning drills, leads, and rundowns to strategically apply pressure to opposing defenses and force them to make mistakes.

Baserunning Drills

Get out of the box quicker and more efficiently! Coach Schneider introduces several drills that will help your runners get to and round first base faster. You'll benefit from a structured, easily implemented routine that breaks home to first base-running down into all of the important pieces, which include:

Starts - Explosively getting out of the box.

Open Window - Proper timing of looking up to see if the ball made it through the infield.

Hitting the Bag - Whether hitting the front of the bag on a close play or hitting the inside corner of the bag when rounding, foot placement can be the difference that puts maximum pressure on the defense.

Breakdown - After hitting the bag at full speed, knowing how to properly stop is important for avoiding injury and for forcing the defense into making mistakes.

Use the Starts drill to get out of the batter's box more efficiently. This is a skill that can benefit hitters on almost every at-bat. Players practice getting to the end of the swing, staying balanced, and driving out while keeping the head low and running through a cone a few feet away.

Leads

Once on first base, learn how to take an aggressive lead that will draw the defense's attention. Coach Schneider explains how to drill different leads for second and third base. Learn how to take a lead off of an aggressive catcher who likes to pick off frequently, while taking a more aggressive lead against a less skilled or lazy catcher.

Rundowns and Situations

One side benefit of being an aggressive baserunning team is that your defense will practice against your base runners, better preparing them for defending against a team that runs aggressively. Coach Schneider does a terrific job of incorporating offensive and defensive work into the same drills to optimize the use of practice time with a small ball scrimmage that keeps the focus on short game skills and aggressive baserunning. He shares techniques for developing an aggressive baserunning program into the typical batting practice that helps players become comfortable between bases. Multiple baserunner scenarios are incorporated to help players understand the dynamic of not being alone on the base paths.

Coach Schneider shows you 12 drills to help you keep pressure on the defense. The more pressure your baserunning game can apply to the defense, the more errors they will make and runs you will score. Let Coach Schneider show you how to help your baserunners apply the pressure!

with Chase Turner,San Jose State University Assistant Coach;member of the Men's USA Softball National Team

Chase Turner has done a great job of taking his own fast-pitch softball playing experience with ASA `A' National Championship teams and USA Softball teams and sharing it with the hitters of SJSU. In the eight seasons (through 2017) that Turner has been an assistant at SJSU, batters have set program records in team batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks, and total bases.

Few coaches train their players using proven scientific principles. This is only one of the attributes that sets Chase Turner apart from the rest. Learn the biomechanical principles of ground reaction force, torque, and inertia and how utilizing these three concepts will help you turn your athletes into power hitters.

Hitting Mechanics

Learn how to make your swing as mechanically efficient and powerful as possible. Turner explains several scientific and biomechanical principles and applies them to the softball swing. See how a batter can use the Magnus effect to hit the ball in the correct location to put the desired spin on a batted ball, which will make it fly farther.

Ground Reaction Force

Draw power from the ground with Turner's four ground reaction force drills. In the Bucket drill, Turner shows you how to drive the back knee down and in toward the ground, into a bucket placed in front of the back knee. This will helps your hitters swing with more power because the force the hitter puts into the ground will be transferred into the swing.

Torque

Turner shows how to use drive your back side into your front side to create torque, which will power your swing. He also shares four drills to help get more torque and power out of your players' swings.

Inertia

Learn how to use the inertia your hitters create to hit the ball harder and further. Turner presents nine drills to train your hitters to start the swing tight to their bodies to maximize inertia, then let go of that inertia at contact and release to transfer force into the softball.

From A to Z, Coach Turner covers all the aspects behind power hitting. You'll see how to get the most out of your softball swing, and your body when hitting, with science on your side!

with Peter Turner,San Jose State University Head Coach;the winningest coach in San Jose State program history (over 300 wins);2017 Mountain West Conference Champions; 2x Conference Coach of the Year;member the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame (2007);former USA Softball Men's National Team coach ('02 - '13)

Don't have enough time to cover everything you want in practice? Feel like your team isn't making the best use of practice time? Some coaches waste too much time hitting ground balls and fly balls to one player at a time while the rest of the team waits their turn.

Peter Turner shows you how to run an efficient practice where infielders and outfielders practice the skills they will need most on game day. Additionally, you'll get a unique pitcher's workout that uses a lot of run-through drills to build on accuracy as well as conditioning and fielding.

With over 20 drills showcased, Coach Turner takes you "behind the scenes" and allows you to learn from a program that gets the most out of practice time.

Practice Philosophy

Learn how to avoid long practices by drilling the skills needed most on game day. Coach Turner shares his practice philosophies and offers simple suggestions to make practices and drills you already run more efficient. He teaches how to plan a practice and what to cover at various parts of the season - pre-season, mid-season, and post-season - and how to maximize your staff and their abilities.

Infielders Catch and Throw

Cut down on throwing and catching mistakes and you will eliminate a lot of your team's errors, in general. Turner shows you seven drills to work on game-like throwing and catching technique, while challenging your players to be quick.

In the 21 drill, players must make 21 perfect throws in a row. Just like on game day, they need to make 21 outs, while the coach times the group. This drill challenges players to be quick while applying pressure similar to the pressure they may experience in a game.

Infield Everyday Drills

Practice eight of the most common plays for infielders in a controlled setting using Coach Turner's everyday drills. These drills are designed to get infielders lots of reps where the player and coach can focus on fielding technique and fundamentals. Improve your infielders' glove work while ensuring that they take proper angles to the ball, which will give them more range. Key teaching points include:

Stopping the ball with the glove instead of squeezing the ball for quicker transfers.

Taking a 45 degree angle to the ball up the middle or in the hole.

Assessing speed of the players around them, on the bases, and at the plate.

Outfield Everyday Drills

Get outfielders involved with four everyday drills of their own. These drills will help your outfielders take better angles to the ball, which will result in more caught fly balls. You'll see how to teach players to catch a line drive coming directly at them - one of the hardest plays for outfielders to read.

Pitcher Run-Through Drills

After the pitcher releases the ball, they're no longer a pitcher - they are a fielder! Help your pitchers improve their pitching and fielding skills with three run-through drills. These run-through drills will help your pitchers practice fielding the ball and improve their conditioning and athleticism.

Lower Half Pitching Drills

Coach Turner introduces two drills to improve the lower half of your pitchers that will get them driving harder and rotating faster in order to throw the ball harder. These drills will emphasize the importance of rotation and location in pitching. He also demonstrates six drills that work on improving accuracy while incorporating other aspects of pitching

Having enough time to cover all skills and give every player the reps they need is a challenge for coaches at all levels. This video gives you plenty of techniques for accomplishing more at practice in less time.

with Peter Turner,San Jose State University Head Coach;the winningest coach in San Jose State program history (over 300 wins);2017 Mountain West Conference Champions; 2x Conference Coach of the Year;member the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame (2007);former USA Softball Men's National Team coach ('02 - '13)

Don't have enough time to cover everything you want in practice? Feel like your team isn't making the best use of practice time? Some coaches waste too much time hitting ground balls and fly balls to one player at a time while the rest of the team waits their turn.

Peter Turner shows you how to run an efficient practice where infielders and outfielders practice the skills they will need most on game day. Additionally, you'll get a unique pitcher's workout that uses a lot of run-through drills to build on accuracy as well as conditioning and fielding.

With over 20 drills showcased, Coach Turner takes you "behind the scenes" and allows you to learn from a program that gets the most out of practice time.

Practice Philosophy

Learn how to avoid long practices by drilling the skills needed most on game day. Coach Turner shares his practice philosophies and offers simple suggestions to make practices and drills you already run more efficient. He teaches how to plan a practice and what to cover at various parts of the season - pre-season, mid-season, and post-season - and how to maximize your staff and their abilities.

Infielders Catch and Throw

Cut down on throwing and catching mistakes and you will eliminate a lot of your team's errors, in general. Turner shows you seven drills to work on game-like throwing and catching technique, while challenging your players to be quick.

In the 21 drill, players must make 21 perfect throws in a row. Just like on game day, they need to make 21 outs, while the coach times the group. This drill challenges players to be quick while applying pressure similar to the pressure they may experience in a game.

Infield Everyday Drills

Practice eight of the most common plays for infielders in a controlled setting using Coach Turner's everyday drills. These drills are designed to get infielders lots of reps where the player and coach can focus on fielding technique and fundamentals. Improve your infielders' glove work while ensuring that they take proper angles to the ball, which will give them more range. Key teaching points include:

Stopping the ball with the glove instead of squeezing the ball for quicker transfers.

Taking a 45 degree angle to the ball up the middle or in the hole.

Assessing speed of the players around them, on the bases, and at the plate.

Outfield Everyday Drills

Get outfielders involved with four everyday drills of their own. These drills will help your outfielders take better angles to the ball, which will result in more caught fly balls. You'll see how to teach players to catch a line drive coming directly at them - one of the hardest plays for outfielders to read.

Pitcher Run-Through Drills

After the pitcher releases the ball, they're no longer a pitcher - they are a fielder! Help your pitchers improve their pitching and fielding skills with three run-through drills. These run-through drills will help your pitchers practice fielding the ball and improve their conditioning and athleticism.

Lower Half Pitching Drills

Coach Turner introduces two drills to improve the lower half of your pitchers that will get them driving harder and rotating faster in order to throw the ball harder. These drills will emphasize the importance of rotation and location in pitching. He also demonstrates six drills that work on improving accuracy while incorporating other aspects of pitching

Having enough time to cover all skills and give every player the reps they need is a challenge for coaches at all levels. This video gives you plenty of techniques for accomplishing more at practice in less time.

89 minutes. 2018.

SD-05326B:

with Chase Turner,San Jose State University Assistant Coach;member of the Men's USA Softball National Team

Chase Turner has done a great job of taking his own fast-pitch softball playing experience with ASA `A' National Championship teams and USA Softball teams and sharing it with the hitters of SJSU. In the eight seasons (through 2017) that Turner has been an assistant at SJSU, batters have set program records in team batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks, and total bases.

Few coaches train their players using proven scientific principles. This is only one of the attributes that sets Chase Turner apart from the rest. Learn the biomechanical principles of ground reaction force, torque, and inertia and how utilizing these three concepts will help you turn your athletes into power hitters.

Hitting Mechanics

Learn how to make your swing as mechanically efficient and powerful as possible. Turner explains several scientific and biomechanical principles and applies them to the softball swing. See how a batter can use the Magnus effect to hit the ball in the correct location to put the desired spin on a batted ball, which will make it fly farther.

Ground Reaction Force

Draw power from the ground with Turner's four ground reaction force drills. In the Bucket drill, Turner shows you how to drive the back knee down and in toward the ground, into a bucket placed in front of the back knee. This will helps your hitters swing with more power because the force the hitter puts into the ground will be transferred into the swing.

Torque

Turner shows how to use drive your back side into your front side to create torque, which will power your swing. He also shares four drills to help get more torque and power out of your players' swings.

Inertia

Learn how to use the inertia your hitters create to hit the ball harder and further. Turner presents nine drills to train your hitters to start the swing tight to their bodies to maximize inertia, then let go of that inertia at contact and release to transfer force into the softball.

From A to Z, Coach Turner covers all the aspects behind power hitting. You'll see how to get the most out of your softball swing, and your body when hitting, with science on your side!

with Lin Casciato,Softball Coach and Clinician (since 1989) at all levels of softball - club, high school and college;coach for NW Fastpitch (2018 ASA Oregon State Championship);several Casciato-coached athletes have gone on to play for college programs at all levels

Pitching is the name of the game, yet many youth coaches have limited experience with such a critical skill. In this video featuring long-time coach Lin Casciato, you'll learn the basic pitching movements, along with appropriate progressions, to feel confident in your ability to develop a strong foundation for your pitchers.

Progressions and Drills

Coach Casciato incorporates a teaching progression that helps beginning pitchers understand the necessity of repeatable actions in the pitching motion. Additionally, he offers an extensive list of drills that players can pick and choose from to get the repetitions they need during practice.

This video incorporates isolation drills and a progression that builds a synchronous approach for the upper and lower body. You'll get techniques for isolating the mechanics of the pitching motion, allowing players of all ages to "feel" when they are using the correct method and better focus on the individual elements of the pitching process.

Build Confidence and Understanding

Fast-pitch mechanics can be difficult to master for an inexperienced player. Casciato provides exercises that will take pitchers to a place of confidence and comfort within the pitching circle. He offers direct instruction and provides explanations that will help you and your players understand proper mechanics.

Coach Casciato does a great job of simplifying the pitching motion so that you can understand it and have your pitcher work through progressions to get the ball on line. Additionally, this video suggests a variety of drills that players can do at home in a small space to reinforce the motion, which can help them learn the motion without the stress of throwing a strike.

Develop better pitchers today!

80 minutes. 2018.

SD-05410B:

with Lin Casciato,Softball Coach and Clinician (since 1989) at all levels of softball - club, high school and college;coach for NW Fastpitch (2018 ASA Oregon State Championship);several Casciato-coached athletes have gone on to play for college programs at all levels

Essential Skills

This video features Coach Casciato as he shows you how to break down the various components of becoming a softball catcher.

You'll get tips and drills on:

Receiving - How to have soft hands and catch the ball in a way to help get a strike call.

Blocking - How to keep more balls pitched in the dirt from getting past you to control the opponent's running game.

Throwing - How to throw to each base quickly enough to keep opponents from stealing.

You'll see what proper body position and technique can do to improve actions behind the plate and increase the confidence of other players in the field. With more than two dozen drills, this video is filled with ways to hone the skills of any beginning catcher.

Becoming a Catcher

It can be intimidating for young girls to put on the catcher's gear and climb behind the plate to face pitches in fast-pitch softball. Casciato does an excellent job of helping young players understand how to be safe, productive, and even thrive, in their role as a catcher.

This video offers many drills and coaching points that can help catchers of all levels, but are offered in a way that's easily comprehended by beginning-level players. This is your chance to learn from a master instructor and help your athletes absorb the fundamentals of catching.

with Lin Casciato,Softball Coach and Clinician (since 1989) at all levels of softball - club, high school and college;coach for NW Fastpitch (2018 ASA Oregon State Championship);several Casciato-coached athletes have gone on to play for college programs at all levels

Essential Skills

This video features Coach Casciato as he shows you how to break down the various components of becoming a softball catcher.

You'll get tips and drills on:

Receiving - How to have soft hands and catch the ball in a way to help get a strike call.

Blocking - How to keep more balls pitched in the dirt from getting past you to control the opponent's running game.

Throwing - How to throw to each base quickly enough to keep opponents from stealing.

You'll see what proper body position and technique can do to improve actions behind the plate and increase the confidence of other players in the field. With more than two dozen drills, this video is filled with ways to hone the skills of any beginning catcher.

Becoming a Catcher

It can be intimidating for young girls to put on the catcher's gear and climb behind the plate to face pitches in fast-pitch softball. Casciato does an excellent job of helping young players understand how to be safe, productive, and even thrive, in their role as a catcher.

This video offers many drills and coaching points that can help catchers of all levels, but are offered in a way that's easily comprehended by beginning-level players. This is your chance to learn from a master instructor and help your athletes absorb the fundamentals of catching.

with Lin Casciato,Softball Coach and Clinician (since 1989) at all levels of softball - club, high school and college;coach for NW Fastpitch (2018 ASA Oregon State Championship);several Casciato-coached athletes have gone on to play for college programs at all levels

Pitching is the name of the game, yet many youth coaches have limited experience with such a critical skill. In this video featuring long-time coach Lin Casciato, you'll learn the basic pitching movements, along with appropriate progressions, to feel confident in your ability to develop a strong foundation for your pitchers.

Progressions and Drills

Coach Casciato incorporates a teaching progression that helps beginning pitchers understand the necessity of repeatable actions in the pitching motion. Additionally, he offers an extensive list of drills that players can pick and choose from to get the repetitions they need during practice.

This video incorporates isolation drills and a progression that builds a synchronous approach for the upper and lower body. You'll get techniques for isolating the mechanics of the pitching motion, allowing players of all ages to "feel" when they are using the correct method and better focus on the individual elements of the pitching process.

Build Confidence and Understanding

Fast-pitch mechanics can be difficult to master for an inexperienced player. Casciato provides exercises that will take pitchers to a place of confidence and comfort within the pitching circle. He offers direct instruction and provides explanations that will help you and your players understand proper mechanics.

Coach Casciato does a great job of simplifying the pitching motion so that you can understand it and have your pitcher work through progressions to get the ball on line. Additionally, this video suggests a variety of drills that players can do at home in a small space to reinforce the motion, which can help them learn the motion without the stress of throwing a strike.

with Bob Ligouri,Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Head Coach;Iowa Girls Coaching Association (IGCA) Hall of Fame;6x NJCAA World Series appearances;over 900 career wins;has coached 15 All-Americans; 2x State Champion High School coach and 2x State Champion Runner-up

Left handed hitters are an asset to any softball offense. These unique batters can confuse the opposition by deploying different tools within their arsenal to disarm any defense.

In this video, the IGCA Hall of Fame head coach Bob Ligouri (DMACC) takes you through the basics of the four tools that lefty hitters can use, as well as how to develop each of them using tee, tracking, and timing drills.

Basics and Progression

Learn the steps for success and the progression needed build an effective slap. Coach Ligouri explains the mechanics a slapper must master, starting from the ground up. Next, and most importantly, he shows a progression to teach a slapper those critical fundamentals. Ligouri also explains how you can help your slappers overcome the typical fear of being hit by the ball.

Four Tools

The most effective lefties can beat a defense in multiple ways - which makes them impossible to completely defend. If the defense is playing back, your lefty will have the tools to bunt or soft slap. The defense in their face can be beat as well - just hard slap or hit away.

No matter where the defense is playing, Coach Ligouri will show you a tool that will allow lefties to beat them.

Tee, Tracking, and Timing Drills

Ligouri gives you 10 drills you can implement right away to develop players on the left side.

In the Follow The Leader drill, two slappers compete for mastery of each of the four tools. The drill works much like HORSE in basketball, where one batter calls out a skill and must execute. The next batter must execute the called-for skill or else they receive a penalty. This drill gets your slappers working together and competing at the same time!

Player and Coach Perspectives

Finally, you'll hear what the most difficult things are about slapping from a player's perspective. Understand why some of Coach Ligouri's players started slapping, and hear the advice they'd give to younger players who might be thinking about becoming slappers. Additionally, Ligouri invites one of his assistants to explain the importance of tee work, and how slappers need to become run producers.

Coach Ligouri offers sage advice and methods to develop four tool lefty batters. He explains the basics and progression to develop all four tools, and offers 10 drills to help players master the fundamentals of slapping and hitting from the left side. This video shows you how to develop four tool lefties who distort, disrupt, and exploit opposing defenses!

Mike Candrea - University of Arizona Head CoachPatty Gasso - University of Oklahoma Head CoachLonni Alameda - Florida State University Head CoachKelly Inouye-Perez - UCLA Head CoachPeter Turner - San Jose State University Head CoachBeth Torina - LSU Head CoachMargie Knight - Salisbury University Head CoachEhren Earleywine - former University of Missouri Head CoachRandy Ward - Loyola Marymount University Assistant CoachJenny Cladding - French Softball Team Manager; former Florida Assistant CoachEugene Lenti - DePaul University Head CoachGeorge Wares - Central College Head CoachChristina Sutcliffe - Northern Illinois University Head CoachCraig Nicholson - former Arizona State University Head CoachMegan Smith - University of Kansas Head CoachMike Stith - Team Mizuno Director of Player DevelopmentKyla Holas - University of Houston Head CoachLinda Wells - former Arizona State University Head Softball CoachSandy Montgomery - SIU-Edwardsville Head CoachShonda Stanton - Indiana University Head CoachRicci Woodard - Texas State Head Coach

This video provides a resource for drills to improve all areas of infield play. You will be exposed to philosophies on maximizing player touches and how to safely warm-up arms for quality play.

21 of the most respected coaches in softball explain and demonstrate 45 different infield drills. You'll see drills for throwing, pre-pitch movement, proper fielding position, fielding various types of hits, completing double plays and covering bases.

Throwing

Infielders must be able to transfer and throw the ball quickly to get out the fastest runners. The average runner in college softball will run home to first in about three seconds, but slappers can get there as fast as 2.6 seconds. This video shows how to throw from different arm angles and throw on the run to get the ball to first base quickly.

Fielding

Players with good fundamentals make fewer mistakes. Perfect your players' fielding positions on ground balls to ensure they can make plays with the pressure on! In one particularly fun drill, the Fielding Footwork drill (`Stopping rolling balls with footwork'), 4x WCWS National Championhip coach Patty Gasso has her fielders use their footwork to stop balls!

Double Plays and Covering Bases

A defense can bail a pitcher out of a jam by getting two outs on one batted ball. You'll learn how to turn a double-play from any position on the field. Also, see how to teach your players the proper positioning for force outs and tags, pick-offs, and steals.

If you're looking for a one-stop solution to infield mechanics and drills, look no further!

Tim Walton - University of Florida Head CoachPatty Gasso - University of Oklahoma Head CoachEugene Lenti - DePaul University Head CoachMike Candrea - University of Arizona Head CoachCaitlin Lowe - University of Arizona Assistant CoachAlicia O'Brien - Central College Associate Head CoachMargie Knight - Salisbury University Head CoachMike Stith - Team Mizuno Director of Player DevelopmentSandy Montgomery - SIU-Edwardsville Head CoachChristina Sutcliffe - Northern Illinois University Head CoachPeter Turner - San Jose State University Head CoachBeth Torina - LSU Head CoachKelly Inouye-Perez - UCLA Head CoachJohn Tschida - University of St. Thomas Head CoachKatie Schroeder - former Arizona State University Assistant CoachKyla Holas - University of Houston Head Coach

16 of the top coaches in softball explain and demonstrate 35 outfield drills in this comprehensive video. You'll learn the skills and drills to build fundamentally sound outfielders so your team can make more outs and prevent extra-base hits. Throwing, drop steps, fielding fly balls and ground balls, fly ball communication, robbing balls at the fence, and diving catches are all covered!

Throwing

Outfielders must be able to throw the ball strongly and accurately to prevent opposing runners from taking extra bases or scoring runs. You'll learn how to get behind the ball and crow-hop into the throw or throw on the run to make a shorter, quicker throw.

Fielding Fly Balls and Ground Balls

Using a drop step to get a great angle on a ball hit over the head can be the difference between making a web gem catch or having the ball fall for a hit. You'll see skills and drills for catching balls hit deep, as well as how to run in to grab a shallow blooper. Outfielders who can move both forward and backward quickly to catch balls will be able to cover a lot of ground.

Diving and Fielding Balls at the Fence

Completing a diving catch is one of the most exciting plays an outfielder can make. You'll learn techniques and drills that remove the fear of diving and help your outfielders extend their range.

This video gives you outfield skills and drills from the best softball coaches in the country. A valuable addition to any softball coaching library!

Boo Gillette - Purdue University Head CoachChristina Sutcliffe - Northern Illinois University Head CoachDiana Pepin - Eastern Connecticut State University Head CoachJohn Tschida - University of St. Thomas Head CoachKelly Inouye-Perez - UCLA Head CoachLinda Wells - former Arizona State University Head Softball CoachLindsay Leftwich - LSU Assistant CoachMargie Knight - Salisbury University Head CoachMike Stith - Team Mizuno Director of Player DevelopmentShonda Stanton - Indiana University Head CoachStacey Iveson - University of Arizona Assistant Coach

The catching position is often overlooked in its importance for the development of a championship level softball program. Too many times the development of the position is sacrificed for someone who can just manage to not drop everything from the pitcher as they develop.

This video includes catching drills and techniques taught by 11 of the most accomplished coaches in softball! Included are catcher-specific warm-ups, throwing drills, framing and receiving techniques, blocking drills, bunting drills, passed ball drills, pop-up fielding work, and how to deal with plays at the plate.

Warm-Ups and Throwing

The opening section gives you drills to get your catcher warmed up properly so they can avoid injury and increase quickness.

The best catchers are able to control an opponent's running game. You'll get drills that will help your catcher throw out more would-be base stealers with a faster release and stronger throw.

Receiving

Receiving the pitch is arguably the most important thing a catcher does, as during the course of a game or season, they will execute this skill the most. Help your catcher become a pitcher's best friend by getting more borderline pitches called strikes by framing the ball correctly.

Blocking

Nothing gets by the best catchers. Learn how to smother a ball in the dirt and block it in front to prevent runners from advancing.

You'll see how to make your drills more exciting by incorporating competition! In the Goalie Drill, cones are set up to make a goal and the catcher must block balls between the cones to defend the cones.

Bunts, Passed Balls, and Pop Ups

In addition to receiving, blocking, and throwing, catchers must be able to retrieve passed balls/wild pitches, field bunts, catch pop ups, and hold their ground on a play at the plate. It's important to make sure your catchers have training in all areas of responsibility, so they can execute best when the game is on the line.

This video provides a comprehensive toolkit for developing a fastpitch catcher with instruction from some of the best coaches in the game. Turn your catcher into a defensive superstar today!